Cheshire Smile
by Pogokitten
Summary: Nobuko Akiyama is a young Ghoul living in Tokyo's 6th Ward while attending the college of arts, Geidai. Everyone tells her that she's too reckless. But an S-rated Ghoul won't die that easily. At least that is what she thought before Aogiri Tree reared it's ugly head and declared war. It also doesn't help that she's sparked the interest of Keiji Fukui, a young Ghoul Investigator.
1. A Dangerous Encounter (Route 1)

**Cheshire Smile**

A Dangerous Encounter (Route 1)

I tried to hold back my ragged breathing as I crouched down in the garbage infested alley. The stink of the trash was enough to gag me, but I ignored it as I listened for the sounds of footsteps. There were four of them, all men judging by their long heavy strides. My heart was pounding against my chest as I slid farther behind the trash bags, hoping the cloudy night would help conceal me. I heard the slap of their shoes on the sidewalk as they came down the street, and I glared at them as I watched from my hiding spot.

Suit jackets flapping in the wind and briefcases in hand, they stalked down the empty road calling out orders to each other. It was clear from the way the broad shouldered, black haired man spoke to the others, that he was the leader. The man's voice was deep and rough like he had just eaten an entire pack of cigarettes, and his tone was annoyingly condescending. I felt an instant surge of hatred for the man that had nothing to do with the fact that he was a Dove.

"Come on, spread out check every nook and cranny!" The leader bellowed and I flinched as if struck.

This situation was bad. If there were only two of them, maybe I could get away without too much of a mess… But taking on four alone and without a plan was impossible. Of all the times I had gone out without my mask it had to be today. It was my own stupid fault of course, but I could be angry at myself later. If I lived that long.

"Are you sure that tip was for real? I mean that woman had to be like eighty…" One of the Ghoul Investigators called out to the head Dove. Someone had seen me here? I flashed back to yesterday when I was dragging an old bum's corpse out of a nearby deserted back street. It had been pitch black and I had been sure no one had seen me… There was an apartment complex nearby...but I had thought that no one would… Shit...

"There's a Ghoul here… I can feel it." Broad Shoulders said. I sucked in a sharp breath as a fat bead of sweat rolled down my forehead.

The Investigators continued to sweep the street growing ever closer to my alley. In an attempted to choke down my rising panic, I pulled my long maroon hair down over my ears and bit my lip. Oh, if only I had my mask… I felt so much braver with it on. Shaking my head to clear it, I began rummaging in the trash as quietly as I could, looking for something, anything that could conceal my face.

Just as I found a discarded rag, a sudden silence fell. I couldn't hear their footsteps anymore. A shot of fear ran through me. They had found me. I felt rather than heard them moving into an ambush position, and I hastily tied the tattered rag over my nose to cover my lower face. It smelled like car grease and screwed with my sense of smell, but it was all I had.

This was it, fight or flight time… It was probably going to be a bit of both. If I was going to have a chance, I'd have to pounce on them first. I closed my eyes and let my Ghoul instincts take over. I felt a rush of warm blood flow into my brown eyes and knew they had changed. My Kagune bubbled just below my skin waiting for battle. I sucked in a deep breath. This was familiar at least.

I heard the _klink_ of a metal on metal and knew that I had to act before they all activated their Quinques. With as much strength as I could muster, I launched myself out of my hiding spot sending trash flying everywhere. I hit the first Dove in the chest and he fell, the wind forced out of his lungs. Judging by the shifting I could feel under my hands as I sat on top of him, he had a few broken ribs. His smooth round face went slack as he slipped into unconsciousness.

A flutter of movement on my left had me leaping away just in time to avoid the slash of a sword like Quinque. As the new attacker recovered from his miss, I shot towards him and hit him football tackle style. He gasped and spat up blood, dropping his Quinque which I kicked away. He was a weasel of a man with a pinched face and blonde hair.

"B-bitch." He gurgled. I let out an angry growl and hit him hard with a kick to the side. The Weasel tried to block it with his arm, but his howl of pain told me he failed. He dropped like a sack of bricks, his right arm now shattered. Two down, two to go. I heard the click of a another Quinque activating and spun around towards it, ready to attack.

Broad Shoulders grinned at me as our eyes met, a huge battle ax of Quinque in hand. Next to him stood the last investigator. This one was a bit taller than me with thick rimmed glasses and ruffled brown hair. His weapon of choice was, what I at first thought was a rocket launcher. It certainly looked like one, but on closer inspection it was probably an Ukaku type. I chewed my inner cheek nervously. His weapon was not a good match for me.

"Not bad kid, but this ends now." The leader chuckled darkly and I felt a shiver run down my spine. This was do or die time. A wave of adrenaline rushed through me, and before I knew it my Kagune had burst out of my back. Long, thick as a tree trunk, and glistening red, my Bikaku tail unfurled until it was twice as tall as me. God, it felt like my blood was on fire whenever I activated it.

Glasses Boy let out a soft gasp and took a step back while Broad Shoulders let out a hearty laugh.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Cheshire. I like the new mask, but to think an S-rated Ghoul could be cornered so easily." He mused eyeing my Kagune.

I let out an angry hiss. My Bikaku was frustratingly memorable, what with it's serated ring stripes that were designed to tear opponents to shreds. It looked like a huge red tabby cat tail, honestly. And I'm sure I looked stupid with a dirty rag over my face.

"S-S-Rated..?" Glasses asked with a nervous glance at his boss.

"Yes, but barely. She's nothing but a corpse stealer." The Investigator said with disdain. As if that was worse than just murdering people in the streets.

I got into a low crouch and let out an animalistic growl. It was mostly for show and intimidation, but I'd be lying if I said it wasn't a bit fun. The look on Glasses Boy's face was enough to make me smile a little. Poor thing, fresh out of the academy. His over confident boss on the other hand, heaved up his huge ax and got into a fighting stance.

"Stay back and watch Fukui. It's time to put this rabid animal down."

We glared at each other, waiting for the other to make the first move. I glanced at the other Dove. It was mostly to make sure he wasn't going to jump in, but I was also wondering if his boss would be stupid enough to take the bait. The crunch of the larger man's shoes on the asphalt told me that yes, he was that dumb. In the moment that I had pretended to be distracted, he threw himself at me. Striking first was a rookie mistake.

I rolled out of the way as he embedded his ax into the street where I had been standing. Before he could even pull it out of the ground, I whipped my Kagune around to slam him in the chest. The man went flying and crashed through one of the glass store fronts lining the street. I frowned, flicking the blood off my tail. For all his big talk, the fight ended embarrassingly quickly. He looked like a leader but clearly he was a greenhorn at Ghoul hunting.

I now turned to Glasses Boy. He was standing there dumbstruck, his hands shaking too much to even hold his Quinque properly. I stared at him and saw that he was a good bit younger than I first thought he was. We stood there like statues, predator and prey, both uncertain of what to do. I let out a sigh and shook my head. This was a bad decision...but…

"We're done here." I told him, making my voice intentionally deep.

"W-what?" He asked, a knuckle white grip on his weapon.

"You're not worth my time. I'm done playing with you." I said and turned to leave.

My Kagune dissipated as I calmed down and my blood started to cool. I just wanted to go home at this point. I had barely gone two steps before a blur of red rushed past my head, ruffling my hair. The Ukaku spike pierced the building in front of me with a loud _thunk_. I spun on my heel, my eyes becoming black again.

Glasses Boy stood there, smoking Quinque in hand. His eyes were still frightened, but did I detect a hint of determination in them too? I sprung up high into the air and landed on the boy, pushing him into the pavement beneath us. He struggled but I grabbed his hands and held them down. A human is no match for a Ghoul when it comes to brute strength.

"Fool." I breathed, my face inches from his. He wiggled under my grasp, but I clenched his arms tighter until he let out a soft squeal.

"L-let go! Get off me y-you beast!" He shouted and I sneered.

This idiot was trying my patience.

"I was willing to walk away, but clearly you have a death wish." I hissed next to his ear.

I didn't enjoy murdering for fun. I only did it out of necessity. But this kid had really pissed me off. I was willing to let him leave and I was pretty sure I hadn't even killed any of the investigators. And yet he had the _nerve_ to attack me when my back was turned. Truly he was coward.

I dug my nails into his skin and tears started to leak from his eyes. My mouth was inches from his exposed neck. I could feel saliva building up under my tongue. I did have to admit it had been a while since I'd eaten anything fresh...And he did smell good.

Just as I opened my jaw ready to bite down he spoke. "Wait! P-please I have a family! I need to t-take care of them!"

I paused and looked him right in the eyes. His face was tear streaked and covered in snot from crying.

"Did you ever consider that I had a family when you attacked me? No, I know you didn't. So if you don't care about the people I might leave behind, why should I care about the people _you_ would leave behind?" I asked my temper flaring up again.

He stared at me blankly unable to come up with a response. In the distance I could hear the sound of police cars coming toward us. Back up was something I didn't want to deal with. I narrowed my eyes at the boy, my appetite ruined.

"You're a lucky bastard today, Glasses." I growled as I got up.

To my surprise he stayed there on the ground as I took off down the street. As I got farther away and my Ghoul instincts settled down, my eyes morphed back and I was hit with a wave of fatigue. I ripped the smelly rag off my face and continued to put as much distance between me and the incapacitated Doves as possible.

I don't know how many blocks I walked. I just kept going until I couldn't hear the sirens anymore. The city of Tokyo seemed almost abandoned as I navigated the dark streets. I pulled my jacket closer but then grunted unhappily when I remembered I would have to get rid of these clothes now. This jacket was one of my favorites too. But if I wanted to live, I'd have to do anything to keep my identity a secret.

Eventually my feet steered me towards my apartment. By the time I got there, streaks of sunlight were beginning to peek over the horizon. I fumbled with the lock and practically collapsed over the threshold. I closed the door more forcefully than was needed, and I heard the thumps of my roommate running down the stairs to meet me. I barely caught a glimpse of her spikey black hair before she hug-tackled me.

"Nobuko! Where the hell have you been?" Nao asked practically squeezing me to death.

"I ran into a bit of trouble." I said and squirmed out of her embrace.

She gave me a quick glance over, as if making sure I didn't have any gapping wounds. I gave Nao a quick look over myself. Her hair was messier than usual and she had the start of bags under her dark eyes. She was wearing an oversized t-shirt that had several old stains on it and she had her puppy slippers on. It looked like she hadn't slept all night. Guilt bubbled in my gut. She had stayed up waiting for me to come home.

"What happened?" She asked as she began practically pulling me upstairs. I ran a hand through my tangled hair. I needed a shower.

"I went down to the southern part of the 6th Ward to scout for food again, but I got attacked by Doves." I told her as I headed for my room.

The bedroom was pretty small. It could only fit my bed, a small dresser, and a bean bag chair. I sighed in relief at the familiar pale green walls and brown carpeted floor.

"What?! Did they hurt you?" Nao asked worriedly.

"No they were a bunch of rookies. Apparently some old lady called in a sighting of me there, but I guess they didn't think it was real and sent a bunch of newbies. I didn't have my mask though and had to tie a rag over my face." I explained as I began stripping off my clothes.

"See I told you! God, when are you ever going to listen to me? I said this morning that you needed to take your mask, but noooo, you said it would be fine!" She practically yelled at me. There was a long silence that followed as I grabbed the towel hanging on my door and wrapped it around myself. I could feel Nao's gaze lingering on the scars on my shoulder.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean worry you. I promise I'll take my mask with me from now on." I apologized not meeting her eyes.

"It's not about the mask… You...You're just so reckless sometimes. And everyday you come back late, I'm always worried that you've gotten yourself tangled up in something again." She huffed sadly.

"Nao, we're Ghouls. We always get tangled up in something. Especially these days." I said putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Yeah but when it comes to you, you're worth about four ghouls of trouble." She said exasperatedly.

"No arguments there. I'm gonna get a shower, okay? Go get some sleep I'll tell you everything when you wake up." I told my roommate.

She opened her mouth as if to argue but thought better of it and just shook her head. I went to our tiny bathroom and turned on the faucet. I felt bad for running away from the conversation, but I was exhausted. I stepped into our cluttered shower and let the warm water wash away the long night. _Nao just wants me to be careful. I should just keep my head down._ I told myself. But I couldn't. Not with all the Ghouls in the 6th Ward that relied on me. If I didn't scavenge for corpses, there were dozens of families that would go hungry.

 _Besides,_ I thought as I ran my hand over the scars on my shoulder. _I couldn't forget what those Doves had done._

* * *

 ** _Thanks for the read! If theres enough intrigue in this I'll keep writing it._**


	2. A Dangerous Encounter (Route 2)

**Cheshire Smile**

A Dangerous Encounter (Route 2)

I fiddled with my tie nervously as I stood outside the imposing office doors. I glanced around looking for some kind of secretary. The hall was pristine and lined with floor to ceiling windows and offices, but the place seemed deserted. Glancing down at my watch again, I decided that I should just go in or I would be late. I made sure my unruly brown hair was parted nicely in the reflection on the windows. Gathering my courage, I pushed open the huge silvery doors.

On the other side of the doors, the room was actually smaller than I had pictured. There were a few steel filing cabinets and potted plants lining the walls. In the center of the office sat a large metal desk and a few chairs. Seated at the desk was an older woman with her dark blue hair tied up in a neat bun and a sour look on her face. She wore a crisp white suit jacket and pants that looked even more spotless than the hallway. _This is my boss?_ I asked myself.

"What?" She snapped and looked up from her computer screen.

"I-I um I'm new here… They told me to come see you…" I stuttered suddenly losing my nerve. She raked a hard gaze over me and began looking things up on the computer.

"Name?" She asked and I startled slightly.

"K-Keiji Fukui." I told her and she tapped a few things out on the keyboard.

"Keiji Fukui, male, age twenty-one, Rank 2. That you?" She asked and I gave her a swift salute.

"Yes ma'am, Fukui reporting for duty."

The woman let out a sigh and stood up, her high heels clacking on the tile floor. She held out her hand to me and I took it hesitantly.

"Hello Mr. Fukui I am Aoi Ise the head of the CCG's 6th Ward Division. I congratulate you on your new rank and I am pleased to welcome you here." She said in a flat voice and handed me my badge and a stack of papers.

"Sorry for the sub-par welcome, we're up to our ears here. Go on down to the fifth floor to be assigned to your partner." She murmured and strode back over to her desk.

Feeling a little put-out I turned and pushed the door open.

"Hey, Fukui. Be careful out there." Aoi called out to me, her expression softening the tiniest bit. I nodded my thanks and walked out.

I hopped in the elevator and rode it down two floors. I took the time alone to clean my glasses off. At long last I was here. I was going to be a Ghoul Investigator, and yet… I shook off my doubts and the doors slid open revealing the hustle and bustle of the Investigator's offices.

People were running back and forth, delivering papers and yelling to each other from across the room. It was chaos. I stepped out of the elevator and was almost run over by a frantic intern carrying papers. Unsure of what to do and a little overwhelmed by all the commotion, I shoved myself against a wall and just tried to stay out of the way.

"Hey, you with the glasses!" A rough voice shouted.

I turned towards the sound and saw a man in a blue suit with short black hair and broad shoulders. Next to him were two other men. One was skinny with blonde hair and a bit of a bitter look on his face. The other guy was a thicker with a round face and buzz cut tawny hair. He gave me a friendly wave and I felt a bit more at ease.

"So you're the fresh bait, huh?" The black haired man asked as he slapped me on the back, knocking my glasses askew.

"Don't scare the guy, Sosuke. I'm Ren Sanjo." The round face man told me. "This is Sosuke Ugaki," He indicated the taller man. "and this is Shigeo Taguchi." Ren finished pointing to the blonde man.

"I'm Keiji Fukui, pleased to meet you." I introduced myself to them.

"Well, it's nice to meet you Keiji. We're all on the same squad, but our senior Investigator isn't here today." Ren said shaking my hand.

They lead me to a small conference room and we took seats around the table.

"So is everyone here a Rank 2?" I asked.

"I'm a Rank 3 Investigator." Sosuke proclaimed.

"We know Sosuke, you tell use about five times a day. Shigeo and I are Rank two as well." Ren told me rolling his eyes at the Rank 3 Investigator.

"So why isn't the senior Investigator in?" I questioned.

"She's off on a mission tracking some suspected Aogiri Tree members." Shigeo huffed, and I started at the sound of his voice. He hadn't said a single word until now.

"So what are we doing?" I asked them.

"Considering we can't go out in the field without a higher ranked Investigator, probably just paper work for today." Ren said.

Sosuke let out an unsatisfied grunt and Shigeo's scowl deepened. So for most of the day we sat in silence and filed papers. It was tedious and boring, but it was just part of the job I guess. Ren would occasionally make jokes or start conversations. I was thankful for it and helped pass the time. Sosuke just complained about how we should be out stopping Ghouls and Shigeo just irritably filled out reports.

The clock slowly ticked its way to six and we started getting ready to leave. It hadn't been the most glamorous first day, but I thought it had gone well. Just as I slammed the filing cabinet shut, the conference room door opened and a young man handed Sosuke a paper before quickly leaving.

"What is it?" Ren asked.

"It's a complaint from a citizen. She says she might have seen a Ghoul behind her apartment. We should probably check this out so we can report it to the boss tomorrow." Sosuke said a smile spreading across his face.

"But we can't! We don't have a senior Investigator." I argued.

"It's fine if we just go talk to this woman right? We'll take some Quniques just in case, but it's not like we're hunting for it." Sosuke said dismissively.

I looked at Ren for help but he just shrugged. I reluctantly followed my team down to the basement where they retrieved their Quinques. Sosuke pulled an older looking one down from a shelf and handed it to me. It was a lot heavier than I thought it'd be.

"Better than those little Bikaku knives, eh? You're lucky we have a surplus of Quniques after we found all those dead Ghouls in their secret restaurant a few weeks back. Usually low Ranks can't have Quniques, but with that Aogiri Tree organization running around lately they've been making exceptions." Sosuke chuckled.

A quick car ride later and we arrived at the woman's apartment complex as the sun finally went down. Ren knocked on the door and a white haired, wrinkled old woman answered. She had huge spectacles that made her eyes look huge and was holding a small hairy dog. The picture was so bizarre I almost laughed.

"Excuse me ma'am, we're Investigators for the CCG and we're here to talk to you about your Ghoul sighting." Ren said brightly.

"Oh yes, I was wondering when you'd be by, and all such handsome young men too." She chortled.

"Could you tell us when it happened, and what exactly you saw?" Sosuke asked her politely.

"Well, let's see… It was quiet late at night about two days ago and I had gotten up because Mr. Pickles was making such a racket over something out the upstairs window. I took a peek outside and saw a very strange shadow moving very oddly across the ground. I was so frightened I ran right to the phone and called you." She explained.

"A very strange shadow moving oddly?" I reiterated doubtfully. That was vague enough to be anything and it was just an educated guess, but I was pretty sure this lady didn't have the best eyesight. I could tell from Shigeo's expression he didn't believe her either.

"Well, thank you for your time ma'am. We will investigate thoroughly." Ren told her.

"That was a bust." Sosuke said as we walked away.

The streets were nearly deserted around the area as the darkness got thicker. I couldn't help being a bit glad that we hadn't found any good leads. I had been trained in combat but I'd never actually been out in the field. Just as we reached the car, I felt something watching me. I spun around in time to see a shadow dart down a side street.

"Did you see that?" I whispered.

"Yeah, let's go!" Sosuke exclaimed and started down the street.

We walked in tight formation and my senses were on high alert. The street seemed empty but I couldn't help but feel like there was something else here… There was almost no light tonight with the sky being so overcast. Fear burned in my stomach and it felt like the darkness was closing in on us. I took a deep breath. _I can do this._ I told myself.

"Come on, spread out check every nook and cranny!" Sosuke shouted.

I glanced over at the other Rank 2 Investigators and Ren gave me an encouraging nod. We began to spread out, looking down every alley and corner on the street. My muscles were tense and I was on edge more than ever before.

"Are you sure that tip was for real? I mean that woman had to be like eighty…" Shigeo remarked. Even I had to admit that a tip from a near-sighted old woman on a dark night was pretty sketchy. Not to mention that the shadow I saw could easily have been a cat.

"There's a Ghoul here… I can feel it." Sosuke insisted and Ren just rolled his eyes.

But as we ventured further down the road there was still no sign that anything had even come this way. The others were starting to grumble unhappily at having to come out so late for nothing. I couldn't help feeling relieved that we hadn't run into a Ghoul. Even with four of us, we were still all pretty inexperienced.

Sosuke's expression turned sour and he let out a low grumble. He acted like he actually _wanted_ to fight a Ghoul! Just as I relaxed my grip on the borrowed Qunique, we heard a soft rustling sound coming from a narrow alley a few yards upstreet. Instantly wired again, we looked to Sosuke for instructions. He motioned with his hands that he wanted us to fan out around the alley.

My legs were like jelly and I was surprised they could even move, as I got into position. I felt like I was going to puke from nerves, and I took little comfort in the fact that Shigeo was looking green too. He clicked the button on his Qunique and it transformed into a thin rapier looking sword. With a wild grin on his face, Sosuke also popped open his briefcase which expanded into a three-foot-long crimson battle ax. Before he could even get into a proper stance however, something shot out of the alley and knocked Ren to the ground. He didn't move as the attacker perched on his chest and I felt a jolt of terror. Was he dead?

To my shock, I realized that the thing was a girl. She didn't look to be too much younger than me, with a slight frame and flowing maroon hair. The skirt and jacket she was wearing were dirty and she had a white cloth tied over her face. I almost thought we were wrong and this was just some scared teenager, but then Shigeo took a swipe at her with his Quinque and she dodged faster than my eyes could see. The girl looked up and I saw her eyes. Just like all the pictures I had seen during my training, they were pitch black as coal with burning red irises like embers. The Kakugan.

My blood ran cold. _This was a Ghoul_. It looked like a girl but it was a monster that ate human flesh. She launched herself at Shigeo and hit him in the stomach so hard, I heard the air get forced out of his lungs. Shigeo dropped his Quinque as he clenched his stomach and I saw a few drops of blood on his lips. Then the monster kicked his weapon away as easily as a toddler kicking away leaves.

"B-bitch." He gurgled at the Ghoul.

She responded with a low growl and brought her leg up so fast it was a blur. Shigeo tried to block the kick, but it was in vain. His arm snapped like a twig and he went down. Panic surged through me and my numb fingers fumbled with my Quinque's activation switch. It flipped open and before I knew it, I was holding an Ukaku type long range cannon. The girl's head snapped up and her eyes landed on me, but they quickly flickered to Sosuke. A wave of shame washed over me at the relief that her sights were no longer on me.

"Not bad kid, but this ends now." Sosuke boasted. How he was so confident was beyond me.

But then something huge and red erupted from the Ghoul's lower back. Almost ten feet in length and almost two feet thick, the pulsing crimson mass writhed as if it had a life of it's own. It had odd spiked stripes encircling it and looked like some demonic cat tail. I let out an audible gasp as pure terror ran cold through my veins. Was _this_ the Kagune? It didn't look anything like the Quniques we made from them.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Cheshire. I like the new mask, but to think an S-rated Ghoul could be cornered so easily." Sosuke taunted the monster. I really wished he wouldn't because I was certain we were not going to survive the night.

"S-S-Rated..?" I stammered, several drops of sweat running down my neck. What were we doing here?! S-Rated Ghouls are usually handled by a team of senior Investigators. And even then, sometimes the higher ranks couldn't handle them! _We are going to be eaten!_

"Yes, but barely. She's nothing but a corpse stealer." Sosuke sneered mostly to the Ghoul. _Corpse stealer? Like she takes already dead people to eat?_

The Ghoul must have taken offense because she got into a crouch and let out a low growl that made my hair stand on end. _What part of hell had this demon crawled out of?_ I glanced over at Sosuke, hoping to tell him without words that we needed to retreat. It was no use though, as his eyes were locked on the beast, bloodlust written on his face.

"Stay back and watch Fukui. It's time to put this rabid animal down." He said, never taking his gaze from the girl.

They stared at each other for a moment before the Ghoul's eyes suddenly darted to me. Sosuke charged in that moment and I wanted to call out and tell him that it was a trap, but I felt as if I'd been petrified by the girl's gaze. As I expected, she rolled out of the way of Sosuke's strike and his ax sunk harmlessly into the pavement. Before I could even blink, the Ghoul smacked Sosuke with her massive Kagune and sent him flying. I watched in horror as he smashed through a storefront and shattered glass flew everywhere.

The monster flicked the blood off her tail in a disgusted sort of way and finally turned towards me. _I need to fight! I need to do something!_ But I was shaking so hard I could barely hold the Quninque. I was going to die. I was going to be murdered and never see my family again. _This thing is going to kill me and eat me._ There was no one to save me this time. I was the last one standing. We stood there in tortured silence, each one unable to take their eyes off the other.

"We're done here." The Ghoul said, shaking her head. My mind went numb and I wasn't sure I had heard her properly.

"W-what?" I asked my throat suddenly dry. _I was talking to it._

"You're not worth my time. I'm done playing with you." She said slowly as if she thought I was an idiot.

I watched, flabbergasted as she turned away and her Kagune began to dissipate into a red mist. _She's letting me go?_ Was this some kind of trick? But she was starting to walk away. I was going to live. I had escaped death and I was so grateful that I wasn't going to die. But I hated it. My comrades were lying beaten down around me and I was happy I hadn't had to fight the Ghoul. I felt unbelievably disgusted with myself. If I didn't act, if I didn't at least try to fight this monster I would hate myself.

Before I could think better of it, with unsteady hands I aimed the cannon at the girl. My finger hovered over the trigger hesitantly. If I missed I was as good as dead, this weapon was bad at close quarters. But then I thought of my family and the fact that if I let this thing live, it might kill them one day. And then I made the shot.

To my undying horror, the glowing red bullet missed her head by an inch and embedded itself into the building across the street. The Ghoul didn't miss a beat and whipped around, rage scrawled on her face. She sprung up ten feet into the air and landed on me. I was forced into the rough asphalt and my tail bone stung like crazy from the impact. She was sitting right on my chest, her eyes blazing with anger. In a panic, I struggled in an attempt to get out from under her but she grabbed my arms and forced them down.

"Fool." She hissed, so close that I could feel her breath on my face. Adrenaline burned through my body again and I started to fight her again. The monster's response was to tighten her grip on my arms until it became painful enough that I let out an involuntary wail.

"L-let go! Get off me y-you beast!" I yelled at the Ghoul and her expression darkened.

"I was willing to walk away, but clearly you have a death wish." She whispered venomously, leaning down so that her mouth was next to my ear.

She began to dig her sharp nails into my wrists and I felt hot tears leak out of my eyes. I could feel her heavy breaths on my neck, her teeth inches from where my jugular vein was. I held back a sob. Oh God, no. I was definitely going to be eaten. I picture my corpse, it's innards spilled across the ground and the Ghoul licking my blood off her fingers. She opened her jaws ready to bite into my soft flesh.

"Wait! P-please I have a family! I need to t-take care of them!" I cried out desperately. I pictured my parents and little brother. The tears were falling in earnest now. What would happen to them if I died? Who would make sure they had enough money to live?

To my surprise, the girl leaned back and looked me in the face. Her Ghoul eyes were like black holes, devoid of emotion.

"Did you ever consider that I had a family when you attacked me? No, I know you didn't. So if you don't care about the people I might leave behind, why should I care about the people _you_ would leave behind?" She spat her Kakugan eyes igniting with rage once more.

I stared at her uncomprehendingly. Was she trying to say that she had a family? Did Ghouls care about their families? No that wasn't possible, they were just man eating monstrosities. Weren't they? I tried to respond in some way, but I couldn't. Suddenly her head shot up and she tilted it to the side as if listening to something.

"You're a lucky bastard today, Glasses." She growled and got off of me.

I laid there completely shocked as she ran off into the night. I don't know how long I stayed on the ground before I shakily pushed myself into a sitting position. I put a hand to my chest to make sure that my heart was still beating. How had I come face to face with an S-Rated Ghoul and only suffered some cuts and bruises?

In the distance I heard the sounds of police sirens. That must have been why she ran, there was back up on the way. I suddenly realized how much trouble we could be in for going out without a senior Investigator. As the police grew closer, I managed to stand up. My lower back really hurt now that the adrenaline was wearing off, but I pushed the pain away and moved to where Ren was sprawled out on the ground.

He still had a pulse but there was a small pool of sticky red blood leaking from the back of his head. I did the same with Shigeo and he was also alive and even groaned. Sosuke was another problem though. I couldn't find any safe way into the store to check on him with the shards of glass sticking up everywhere.

Moments later, the police cars pulled up and several Investigators jumped out and came running. They all wore high quality suits and carried briefcases. At the head of the pack was a striking woman with crop cut silver hair. She was a good two inches taller than me with shining blue eyes and her skin was a light shade of brown. She pulled out an Investigator bag and flashed it at me.

"I am First Class Maiko Okubo. You there, boy! What is your name and rank?" She ordered.

"K-Keiji Fukui Rank 2 ma'am!" I responded nervously.

She stopped in front of me, but the other Investigators continued past us and began examining the scene and looking over my squad members. The woman let out an exasperated sigh.

"So you're the new greenhorn on my team. What happened here?" She demanded.

"W-we went to a nearby apartment complex to question an elderly lady on a possible Ghoul sighting. She told us that she thought she had seen someone acting suspiciously nearby. We went to investigate and we were attacked by a Ghoul. S-sosuke seemed to have recognized her as a Ghoul called Cheshire…" I reported trying to keep my voice steady.

"Cheshire?! She was here? She's an S-Rated Ghoul! What were you thinking?" Maiko sputtered.

"W-we d-didn't think it was really a Ghoul…" I stammered.

"What a disaster…" She muttered, and I had to agree.

I wondered what would happen to us now. We had gone out into the field without a senior Investigator and battled an S-Rated Ghoul. No one had died but surely we would lose our jobs. I looked up to the cloudy sky and let out a long groan. My first day might just be my last.

* * *

 **Thanks for the support so far! Just in case you were wondering the story takes place around after Kaneki destroyed the Ghoul restaurant so for you anime watchers, post-torture. And I'm basing it around events that happened in the manga, but if you only watched the anime it should still be easy enough to follow. I love feed back -Pogokitten**


	3. Family Matters (Route 1)

**Cheshire Smile**

Family Matters (Route 1)

My alarm started going off and I woke up with a groan. I hit the beeping clock until it stopped and sat up rubbing sleep out of my eyes. Why was I so tired? And then I remembered. I had stumbled home at dawn and only slept for two hours. I considered just staying in bed, but I already had a suspicious number of absences from class. I got out of bed grumbling and started stripping out of my pajamas. I threw on a casual dress and laced up a pair of calf high boots. After I wrestled the knots out of my hair, I began packing my backpack for my classes. I folded my carpet over and pried up a loose floorboard. My cat half-mask grinned up at me from the hiding spot. I pulled it out and ran my fingers over its smooth periwinkle surface, and traced the grey tabby stripes on it.

Staring down at its hollow eye holes made me recall the conversation I had had with Nao last night. I had told her about the Ghoul Investigators and the boy I had shown mercy. She had been livid, asking me if I was sure they hadn't seen my face. It had been a while since I'd seen her that angry. I had known Nao since we were junior high students and I was pretty sure she would calm down soon. At least I hopped.

I shook my head and slid the mask into the secret zipper pocket I had sewn in my backpack, making sure its pointed ears were properly hidden. The smell of fresh brewed coffee hit my nose and I made my way down stairs. Nao was leaning against the counter in our small kitchen, a steaming cup of dark roasted goodness in hand. I stood there awkwardly for a moment but steeled my nerves and walked over to the cupboard and grabbed my mug. It was printed with Alice in Wonderland characters, the most prominent being the Cheshire Cat. Nao had found it for me, she said it was perfect and laughed.

"I burned them." Nao said suddenly and I almost dropped the mug.

"W-what?" I asked, my mind moving slow.

"Your clothes, I took care of it." She murmured not looking at me.

"Thanks." I mumbled back.

The awkward silence descended again as I filled my cup from the coffee pot. I took a sip of the piping hot beverage and let its acidic after taste burn the back of my throat. Bitter as always…

"Look I'm sorr-" I started but Nao cut me off.

"Don't bother, I know. I get it okay, you did what you had to to get away."

"So…Are we good now?" I asked tentatively.

"I'm still upset but, I'll get over it eventually." She said flatly setting her empty mug in the sink. Blunt as ever. But that was something I liked about Nao. She would always speak her mind no matter how unpopular her opinion was or who's feeling she hurt. It was oddly refreshing in a way. I never had to guess what she was thinking.

I checked my phone, and saw that it was half past seven. My first class started at eight, so I gulped my coffee down and headed for the door as I slung my coat on. It was a fifteen-minute walk from our apartment to the campus, and to pass the time I plugged my headphones in and listened to some music. I gazed at the trees lining the road admiring the changing leaves and thinking that it would be a nice scene to paint. There were a lot of people out by now, on their way to work and school. Nao was lucky, her earliest class was at 10:30. I hated the 8 am class that I had three times a week.

I made it to the classroom fifteen minutes early, so I took a seat close to the door. You never know when you might need to make a quick exit. Especially when you're a Ghoul with a rap sheet. I pulled my sketchbook from my bag and started to draw aimlessly. But pretty soon I got into it and the drawing started to take shape. It was a realistic sketch of a cat with a wide grin pinning a scared looking mouse down with a paw. I couldn't help but smile sadly a bit at the picture. Of course I drew this kind of scene. As much as I hated to admit it, I liked the thrill of battle and the image of my enemies cowering in fear. Maybe it was a Ghoul thing.

I closed my sketch book just as other students started filing into the room. A familiar boy with messy dyed green hair and ratty clothes plopped down in the seat next to me.

"Hey, Nobuko." He purred with a lazy grin.

"What do you want Jimmy?" I asked, as his blue eyes sparkled with mischief.

Jimmy was a transfer student from America. His Japanese was surprisingly good though, considering he had only transferred a year ago. Aside from his peculiar fashion sense, he was extremely charming and was irresistible to everyone in school. Even I had to admit that he was handsome. He knew how to push everyone's buttons, even the professors. Which was probably a good skill for an art therapy major.

"Nothing, just wanted to see my favorite kitty cat." He cooed turning on the charm.

"Call me kitty cat again and I'll claw your eyes out." I threatened flatly.

He grinned again and I just rolled my eyes. I was the only one that was immune to his charms in the school and I think he liked that. He treated most people as playthings, but I think he saw me as an equal because he couldn't control me like he did everyone else. I wouldn't say he was a friend, but I liked him enough that I probably wouldn't eat him. There was something about his morbid humor, and way of talking about people as if he was an outsider looking in that I liked.

"Did you hear that there was another Ghoul attack not far from here last night?" He asked and my heart skipped a beat.

"No I didn't." I said a little too quickly.

"Oh really? You should be more careful." He told me slyly as he leaned in closer.

This is why I could never really be friends with Jimmy. He was dangerous because of how easily he could read people. He kept me on my toes to say the least. Before I could respond the professor barged into the room and ordered us to get our books out. Jimmy gave me a wink and I buried my head in my text book hoping to put a wall up between us. I could tell that he knew something was off about me.

Every week he'd ask me different questions. Was I dating someone? Was I an anime addict? The questions had been amusing at first, until he started getting closer. Was I allergic to something? Was I a vegetarian? And now it seemed like he had almost figured it out. I shot him a sidelong glare when he wasn't looking. If he did know, then I would have no choice. For his sake I hopped he dropped the questions this week.

I could barely keep my eyes open as the teacher droned on about something. It was taking all my willpower not let my head fall on the desk. Somehow I managed to keep it together throughout the two lessons that I had that day. I was done by noon, which was good because I had a pounding headache. Probably from lack of sleep. I packed up my bag and was almost at the door when a hand on my wrist stopped me. I jumped in surprise and it took all my willpower not to rip the arm from it's owner's socket. Maybe sensing that he had just done the equivalent of putting his hand in a shark tank, Jimmy let go.

"What?" I asked turning around to face him.

"I was just wondering if you wanted to hit the cafeteria for lunch." He explained, rubbing the back of his head. I felt eyes burning into the back of my skull and glanced over to see a group of girls whispering in a tight cluster and shooting me nasty glances. My head gave a painful throb and I pressed the heel of my palm into my eye.

"I can't today, I've got a project due. Also I don't think your fan club would appreciate it." I snickered a bit meanly as I gestured to them.

"Come on, please? You can do it later right? Besides you never eat here." He pleaded.

I wavered for a moment, but the thought of human food at the moment was…

"Sorry maybe another time." I apologized and headed out the door so I didn't have to see his face fall.

I trudged home with heavy steps as cars and people rushed past. By the time I got back, Nao had already left. I dropped my bag near the door and kicked off my shoes. Somehow I made it up to my bedroom before I collapsed. I was only out for about two hours before my phone started ringing. I groaned and answered the call without bothering to see who it was. _This better be good._

"What?" I snapped.

"Don't take that tone with me young lady." My mother's voice responded.

"Sorry, I didn't know it was you, mom." I said rubbing the bridge of my nose. God I was tired.

"I should hope not." She huffed.

"Did you need something?" I asked my temper fraying again.

"There's a message here for you." She said.

"Who's it from?" I yawned as I stood up and stretched. There was a long pause. "Mom?" I asked unsure if the line had gone dead.

"Your father."

My jaw clenched and my grip on the phone tightened.

"I'll be there in twenty minutes." I responded and hung up.

I snatched my small red tote bag and jammed my key, cell phone, and mask into it. I clomped down the stairs and was in such a hurry that I practically ran into Nao as she came in the door.

"Jeez, watch out! Why are you in such a hurry?" She exclaimed.

"Apparently my father left a message for me at my mother's shop." I muttered darkly as I brushed past her. She grabbed my arm.

"Do you need me to come?" She asked with a serious expression.

I shook my head. She gave my arm a comforting squeeze and nodded in understanding. And then I was off. I ran as fast as I could without activating my RC cells. It had been almost two years since I'd even heard from my father. What was he doing, trying to get in touch with me now? He had made it pretty clear that, "Ghouls who stoop to hiding among humans are pathetic, prideless creatures." I sprinted down the street, weaving my way through the crowds and hurtled down the nearest subway entrance.

The stagnant, putrid air hit my nose and I had to fight the urge to be sick. What did the humans do down here that made it reek this badly? I would normally never take the subway, it was too cramped, too smelly, and to hard to escape from, but this was the fastest way to get to my mother's shop. Aside from jumping across rooftops, but that was just a little too suspicious to do in midafternoon. Breathing through my mouth trying to keep the stench out of my sensitive nostrils, I wasn't paying attention and ran right into someone on the platform.

"Sorry." I breathed not bothering to look up, still intent on not letting air up my nose.

Before the person I ran into could even respond, the train rushed through the tunnel making the earth rumble beneath my feet. It came to a stop with an echoing screech and I had to resist the urge to cover my hypersensitive ears. The doors slid open and I pushed my way onto the car. I managed to get a hold of one the the handrails before the train started moving again, making me stumble sideways. Another reason I hated the subway was that there was too much noise and too many people for my senses to manage. It was all just a jumble of smells and voices. If a rival Ghoul or Dove walked up to me right then, I wouldn't even see them coming. My head gave another painful throb.

Two stops and ten minutes later, I got off the train and practically flew up the stairs. I sucked in a few gulps of the outside air and ended up in a coughing fit. Tokyo air was by no means clean and fresh, but it was a hell of a lot better than the underground. I huffed out exasperatedly, I didn't have time for this. I took off down the sidewalk and into a more run down section of the neighborhood. I passed several boarded up and graffitied buildings before coming to a stop.

The outside of the butchery was neat as always. My mother made it a priority to keep it that way. A big sign hung above the small oning and read, _Tsunoda's Fresh Meats_. The sign on the glass door said _Closed_ , but I pushed it open anyway and a bell tinkled above me as I entered. Cold air hit me and I could hear the gentle hum of the freezers. The front part of the shop was not very big, and most of the space was taken up by the glass counter, behind which I could see prime cuts on display.

My mother looked up at the sound of the bell. Her brown hair was tied up away from her face, and her green eyes sparkled with a familiar warmth. She came around to my side of the counter, pulling off her blood stained gloves and apron. Mother pulled me into a hug and her warmth and scent surrounded me. I let the world around me fade away for a fraction of a second. I forgot my troubles like I did when I was young. But then we broke apart and I became aware of the fact that we were almost the same height and that my mother's skin saged with age.

"And here I thought you didn't want to see me." She smiled.

"I've just been spread a bit thin lately." I told her.

"I can tell, you look pale as a ghost, when was the last time you ate?" She asked caressing my face.

"I dunno, a week or two… But that's beside the point. You said father left a message." I said, getting right to the point because if I didn't we would dance around the subject all night.

Her mouth became a thin line.

"Let's go in the back."

I followed my mother behind the counter and through the door that led to the hanging meat locker. The temperature dropped lower and my breath billowed out as steam before me. Entire pig and cow carcasses hung from the ceiling, still waiting to be butchered. Mother took me to the back of the dimly lit room, shifting a large metal cabinet to reveal a secret door. We descended down the cement staircase and came to a stop in my mother's real butchery. It was even colder down here if that was possible.

In center of the room was a long worn wooden table stained with old and new blood, an enormous clever left half embedded in its surface. In the corner I spied a large human shaped package wrapped head to toe in a blood stained cloth. A smaller table held a few paper wrapped parcels that were labeled things like Elderly Male Calf Muscle 9/24, Young Female Forearm 9/18, and Young Male Assorted Organs 8/30. Saliva began pooling in my mouth before I knew it. It really had been a while since I'd eaten…

My mother tossed something my way and I instinctively caught it. A severed arm, a young man's by the look of it.

"Have a snack, then we'll get to your father." She ordered with a knowing smile.

"Thanks." I muttered starting at the fingers. It was a bit stiff so I knew it wasn't too fresh, but meat was meat.

"Speaking of food, I need you to make another run. Haruki had to go underground for a while because the Doves were tracking him, and old meat doesn't sell very often." She said jerking her head at the corpse beneath the fabric.

"He was the only body I found last week, I can't be choosy with what I find. Besides, I just had a run in with some Doves myself." I told her as I crunched into the wrist bone. That idiot Haruki, I knew that they'd find him. He was too stupid to even make his kills away from witnesses half the time, she should fire him before he got us all killed. I mean his mask was an old sock with eye slits. _A godamn sock!_

"Oh my, are you okay?" Mother asked, concern wrinkling her face.

"I'm fine." I mumbled around the meat in my mouth. A few drops of blood dribbled down my chin and my mother let out a sigh.

"Just like your father, no manners when you eat." She said exasperatedly.

Suddenly I had lost my appetite.

"So what was this message?" I asked tightly, setting the half eaten limb down and wiping the blood from my mouth.

Mother pulled a slightly crumpled envelope from her pocket and handed it to me. The paper was of high quality judging by its weight. I would expect nothing less from my father. It had my full name, Nobuko Akiyama, written across it in fancy script. There was no return address. Figures.

"How do you know it's from him? Did you see him?" I questioned ripping the letter open.

"No, one of his people showed up at the back door around dawn and gave it to me. He just said that I had to make sure you got it." She sniffed a note of hurt in her voice.

My parents had split up a year after my brother was born, I was only about six at the time. That had been nearly fourteen years ago, but mother had never gotten over the fact that father had broken it off. I didn't know the full story but I did remember he hated the way my mother tried to blend in with the humans, and that he saw her as weak for that.

But what was even worse was that father had demanded full custody of either me or my brother, and my mom had no power to oppose his powerful organization and family name. So instead of losing us both, she let my father have my brother Daiki. I remember crying my eyes out when father plucked my baby brother right from my mother's arms and drove off without so much as a good bye. I didn't see Daiki for three years after that. But no matter what father did, mother still loved him.

I on the other hand detested my father and all that he stood for. He held our powerful family name and his organization, the Spades Clan, over the heads of others and considered humans nothing but cattle. He went so far as to participate in the cruel "entertainment" of the Ghoul underworld, such as the Ghoul Restaurant. When I heard that some Eyepatch Ghoul had destroyed the place and killed almost everyone who had been there, a small ashamed part of me wished my father had been there when it happened.

Shaking those hated memories from my head, I unfolded the letter and read it out loud.

 _Dearest Nobuko,_

 _As you know Daiki's fifteenth birthday is coming up and I am writing to request your presence at his party. It occurred to me that I have not seen you since your eighteenth birthday and I would enjoy catching up with you. There are also pressing matters that we need to discuss regarding your future as part of the Akiyama family. I am aware that you and I do not see eye to eye on most issues, but you are still my blood. I have included a map to the celebration's location from Yuko's shop. Daiki and I would be very pleased if you came._

 _Sincerely, Father_

I curled my lip in disdain. Pressing matters regarding my future as part of the Akiyama family, huh? Perhaps my brother was not the heir my father was hoping he would be. Or maybe he just wanted to see if I could be any use to him. It might sound innocent enough, but if I knew anything about my father it was that he was a manipulative bastard. My hand shaking in rage, I was just considering ripping the letter into shreds, when my mother spoke up,

"Isn't that nice...He invited you to go see your brother again after so long…" She was turned away from me but her voice sounded thick with tears.

"Mom…" I started.

"I know you and your father don't get along, but would you please go for me? I just want… I just want to know how Daiki is doing…"

 _That's right… Mother hasn't seen Daiki since he was ten years old…_ I let out a long sigh… I loved Daiki still too, but he was turning into father…He had his cruelty, classist views, and even some of father's looks. Every time I saw Daiki, there was less of my little brother in him. But I did want to see if he was okay, if he was happy. Begrudgingly I pulled out the map which showed that the party was being held two weeks from now, in the 3rd Ward. I gasped out loud. What was he thinking?! The 3rd Ward is practically uninhabitable for Ghouls. Why in the world would he be having my brother's birthday party in such a dangerous place?

"What's wrong?" Mother asked, subtly trying to wipe the tears from her eyes.

"Nothing." I said, folding the map up so she couldn't see what was on it. She would just worry if she knew that I Daiki was going to be in the 3rd Ward and I was going to join him there for the party.

"So you'll go?" She asked.

"Yeah I will." I told her as I shoved the letter back into the envelope. "And I'll go hunting for real this time and bring back the leftovers too, how does that sound?" I offered hoping to distract her from asking where the party was going to be.

"That would be very helpful, sweetheart." She pulled me into a hug.

"I should get home." I told her softly.

"Okay, be careful." My mother warned releasing me from her embrace.

She showed me out and gave me a final wave before I started down the street. The sun had almost been swallowed by the horizon. I let my feet take me in the direction of the subway station as thoughts bounced around my head. What could my father possibly want with me? I was pretty sure he wasn't aware of my S-Rank status, so I was pretty sure it wasn't my fighting prowess. Did it have something to do with the Spades? Could he want me to become one of his pawns?

I came to a stop before the entrance of the subway station. The bottom of the stairs was hidden in the darkness of the night, making it look like a black abyss to nowhere. _What was father planning?_ There was only one way to find out. With a grim smile on my face, I took the plunge into the inky shadows of the underground.


	4. Family Matters (Route 2)

**Sorry this chapter took so long! I'm college art student myself so finding time to write is difficult to say the least. I dunno how often the updates will be but when I'm on break hopefully they'll come out faster.**

 **This chapter might be a little graphic in the one spot, I rated it T but if you think it should be M let me know. It will probably get even gorier too just as a heads up. Let's be honest though it's Tokyo Ghoul, how could it NOT be gory? -Pogokitten**

* * *

 **Cheshire Smile**

Family Matters (Route 2)

Red and blue lights of the first responders flashed in the night and I lazily dragged my gaze across them as they reflected off the buildings lining the street. I caught a glimmer of movement and followed it with my eyes. The EMTs had finally extracted Sosuke from the destroyed storefront and were wheeling him passed on a stretcher. He was a bloody mess, was he really still alive? How long had it been since Cheshire had attacked..? Minutes, hours? It felt like days had passed.

"Fukui!" Someone exclaimed rather loudly as they grabbed my shoulder. It was a taller woman with tan skin and silver hair. My sluggish mind took a moment to recognize her as my boss, Miss Okubo.

"Y-yes ma'am..?" I said rather feebly. My head felt like it was full of rocks.

"I've been trying to get your attention for the last five minutes. Are you okay? Do you need medical attention?" She asked her stern expression seeming to soften the tiniest bit.

"N-no I'm fine, I'm just a little bit out of it I guess." I told her as the ground seemed to shift beneath me.

"I need you to give me as many details as you can about your encounter with Cheshire." My boss ordered.

"Of course ma'am. What do you want to know?" I responded.

"First, I need to know if it was actually Cheshire. Did you confirm it by her mask?" Miss Okubo asked me as she got out a note pad and pen to write with. I shook my head but stopped when it made me dizzy.

"No she was wearing a rag over her face, I don't think she had a mask with her."

"Then how did you identify her?"

"Sosuke said it was Cheshire after he saw her Kagune." I told her as I remembered Sosuke taunting the Ghoul.

"Did you see the Kagune? What did it look like?"

"It was a Bikaku I think, with serrated rings around it. It kinda looked like a cat tail…" I explained, trying not to gag at the memory of the horrible sight. Miss Okubo made a few notes on her pad.

"What was she wearing?"

"I-it was hard to tell… A jacket, it was a dark color and a skirt...I think it was blue...Sorry it all just happened so fast…" I managed to stammer out as a chill ran down my spine.

"Can you tell me what you remember about the fight? The more we know the faster we'll be able to catch her." She said tapping her pen on the paper.

"L-like I said it was p-pretty fast. We surrounded that alley over there b-but before we could all activate our Quinques, she j-jumped out and tackled Ren to the ground. Shigeo tried to t-take her on but she ramed him and then broke his arm with a k-kick. Sosuke taunted her a-and she released her K-kagune. He took a swipe at her and missed, and t-then her Kagune smashed him into that store front. Then…" I took a gulp, strangely feeling like there was no air in my lungs. "The Ghoul turned to leave."

"She was leaving without attacking you or finishing anyone off?" Miss Okubo asked, and paused writing down my eye witness account to stare at me.

"Yeah… she was leaving. B-but I couldn't just let a Ghoul walk. S-so I-I took a shot at her with my Quinque and it...missed. She became very angry...a-and j-jumped me. I-I thought I w-was gonna…" I finished, stuttering too bad to complete my story. I was still shaking terribly and I felt light headed. Was it still left over fear from the battle?

"Are you sure you're okay Fukui?" She asked again.

"I'm sure I'm just-" I took a step and stumbled, landing hard on my knees.

"Fukui, I know it must have been hard but I need you to get a grip." Miss Okubo said slightly irritated now. She grabbed my wrist to help me up and a strange stinging pain ran down my arm. "Honestly you're a bit timid for this job-" She stopped suddenly and dropped my arm. her hand a was soaked in blood.

She dropped to my level and practically ripped my sleeves back. Ten small cuts, five one each wrist, were slowly oozing blood and it was running down my arms. As soon as I saw them, I realized that my wrists stung really bad. I tried to pull them closer to my chest as if to protect them like a wounded animal would, but Miss Okubo grabbed my hands and forced them up.

"We have to elevate them, pulling it closer is going to make them bleed more. Why didn't you say you were hurt!?" She scolded harshly.

"I didn't know they were bleeding that bad." I told her, shocked that such little cuts were dripping that much blood.

"We need a medic over here!" She shouted and one of the EMTs came running.

He wrapped gauze around my forearms and helped me stand up. It was embarrassing, but I was so dizzy I couldn't walk straight and I had to lean on the poor EMT as he led me over to the ambulance. When we got there the man helped me sit on the stretcher. He stuck a needle into my arm and started an intravenous line. I winced a bit when the needle punctured my skin but was too out of it to respond.

"You've lost a bit of blood, sir. Please lay down and rest." The EMT said, practically forcing me onto my back.

As I laid down on the hard stretcher the world seemed to spin. I squeezed my eyes shut for a moment hoping the sensation would stop, but opened them again when I heard the click of high heels coming towards me. Miss Okubo was leaning over the head of the stretcher staring right at me. I let out a soft yell of surprise and sat up.

"Sorry, I thought you were asleep. I was going leave a message for you, but I can just tell you directly. The higher ups have gotten wind of this little escapade you greenhorns went on."

My stomach dropped out from under me and was replaced by cold dread.

"So...what you're saying is we're all fired right?" I asked feeling numb. I had come so far and finally become an Investigator, only to fail on the first day.

"If it were up to me you'd all be canned. You're all too reckless and needlessly put yourselves in danger. But no, the brass have somehow gotten it into their heads that this mission was a success." Miss Okubo explained.

"That's good…I suppose." I sighed, letting out a breath I didn't realize I was holding.

"More importantly they want you transferred to a new team." She added.

"All of us?" I asked, confused.

"No just you. From now on you'll be working directly under me along with several other First-Class Investigators on the Cheshire investigation. The others will remain standard Investigators."

I could hardly believe my ears. I wasn't fired. I had practically been promoted.

"Why?" I questioned not sure if I was hearing her right.

"Apparently they think your encounter with Cheshire will be of some value to us. The last Investigator she got that close to lost his arm, but you're in one piece." My boss said flatly, clearly not convinced I would be very useful. I couldn't say I was convinced either.

I laid back on the stretcher and draped my free arm over my eyes. On one hand I had just been promoted to a high profile case, but on the other hand it would mean going after A-Rank and higher Ghouls. Not only that but I would be investigating the very Ghoul that just tried to kill me. It was a promotion all right, but a dangerous one.

A surprisingly gentle touch on my arm snapped me out of my thoughts.

"Take the day off tomorrow Keiji." Miss Okubo murmured.

"Thank you ma'am." I told her, a little thrown off by the change in her demeanor.

She started to walk away and a thought struck me so I called out to her,

"Are..? Are Ren and the others going to be okay?"

Her eyes turned hard again.

"The EMTs have told me that Ren and Shigeo will be fine with some time in the hospital, but Sosuke is in critical condition. He suffered some major head and spine injuries and also had a lot of deep lacerations."

I lapsed into silence, unsure of what to say. I didn't know my squad that well yet, but if one of them were to die…

"He's a stubborn guy, he'll be okay. Just worry about yourself." Miss Okubo told me as she strolled away with a wave.

I stayed with the EMTs for another half hour before he told me that there really wasn't any need for me to go to the hospital. That was a relief, I wasn't fond of hospitals and I really just wanted to go to bed at that guy was nice enough to call a taxi for me, which I greatly appreciated. The cab smelled like old cigarettes and mildew, but I was so exhausted I hardly noticed. After a twenty minute ride through back streets and traffic I got out and realized the sun had risen.

My apartment building rose up ten stories in front of me, but it was dwarfed by the skyscrapers in the distance. The well kept lobby and security desk were deserted. That didn't surprise me. All most everyone who lived in this building were desk jockeys who would still be in bed by now. The normally quick elevator ride to the third floor seemed longer than ever as my desire to be in my own room became unbearable. Finally, the doors slid open and I traversed the carpeted corridor to room 500, which was oddly placed after 510 at the end of the hall.

Scrambling for my keys I unlocked the door. I was careful to make sure I shut it quietly not wanting to trouble my neighbors. I kicked off my shoes in the entree way and leaned against the wall for a moment as the last bit of energy I had left me. I stood there for a while before I reminded myself that I had a soft bed waiting for me in the other room.

I trudged through the spacious living room and past the kitchen into my bedroom. Everything was the way I had left it. The queen sized bed was properly made, my nightstand spotless, and the pale blue walls and wooden floor were immaculate. My room was the same but it felt foreign, as if the encounter with Cheshire had tainted my perception of normalcy. Nothing felt real anymore.

I sat down on the edge of my bed and tried to get my thoughts together. I had seen a Ghoul once before when I was very young, but I had never been that close to one. She had been _on top_ of me for God's sake! My hands still trembled at the memory. Is this what I really wanted? To be a Ghoul Investigator? I wasn't brave and I wasn't strong, so what in the world was I thinking. I rubbed my temples. A headache was coming on.

I could save my mental dilemma for later, I needed a shower. Pulling off my clothes, I headed for the bathroom attached to my bedroom. It was a bit small, but the walls were painted a soft yellow making it seem more spacious. I gingerly unwrapped my bandaged wrists. The claw marks were an angry red and they stung as if her nails were still in me. Wincing at the pain in my arms, I threw the stained gauze in the trash can, not wanting to look at my own blood.

I turned the shower knob until the water was steaming hot, and stepped in. The warm streams pounding on my sore back felt good, and I let out a shuttering breath. It had been a very, very long day. My wrists twinged with pain as I carefully scrubbed them with soap. Flashes of last night threatened to come back to me, but I pushed them away refusing to examine the memory.

Fifteen minutes later I forced myself out of the heavenly water and got into a loose shirt and shorts. As gently as I could, I re-bandaged my wrists. The gouges weren't bleeding anymore but they had been deep enough to make me concerned about infection. A quick glance at the clock informed that it was only around 9 am. I gingerly got into bed, trying not to irritate my sore tail bone and let my exhaustion take me over.

 _I was standing on a deserted street that seemed to stretch on forever in either direction. A few flickering street lamps were the only source of light. I looked around trying to figure out where I was and felt a jolt of hot fear scorch through me when I noticed a figure standing on the sidewalk staring at me. A crash from behind startled me and I whipped around wildly to see...nothing. Confused, I looked back at the figure to find them standing only a few inches in front of me. It was Cheshire, still wearing the rag on her face, a hungry gleam in her eyes._

 _I turned to run but she blocked me with a side step. Although I couldn't see all of her face, I knew she was grinning. The Ghoul's eyes danced with an insane joy. I flailed out in a panic and she just laughed as she smacked my hands away._

 _"You're pathetic." She cackled._

 _Out of nowhere her Kagune slammed me to the ground and a wail of pain died in my throat as my spine broke and the air left my lungs. The Ghoul's tail was smothering me under it's heat and size. It was like being crushed under an oven. I couldn't move, could barely breath. Then her she was on top of me again, her hands holding down my arms once more._

 _In the dark all I saw was a flash of teeth and then her incisors were cutting into my neck. A damp warmth was soaking into my shirt. The smell of my own blood was all round me, gagging me. I tried to cry out but I opened my mouth only to choke on more blood. Her nails were cutting so deep into my wrists, they were scraping my bones. I could hear her ripping into my skin. It was a disgusting, nauseating sound I had only heard once before. I tried to yell but again no sound came out._

" _It's all your fault you know." She whispered, smearing a trail of blood down my face with a finger._

A shudder shook me to my core and I sat bolt up screaming my head off. My heart was going so fast it felt like it was trying to escape my chest. I scrambled around convinced I was still trapped in the dream. The sheets tangled around me and I rolled right off the bed. My elbows hit the floor and the stinging pain snapped me out of it. Sucking in several deep breaths, my surroundings suddenly became clear to me and my panic lessened. I was not in the street being eaten and it wasn't even night time.

Sticky with sweat, I unwound myself from my sheets and glanced up at my alarm clock. 2:00pm blinked down at me in the dim light. I'd only been asleep for four hours. Pushing myself up from the floor I let out a shaky breath and flicked on the light switch. I rubbed my eyes and started putting my bed back together. My cell phone vibrated, informing me that I had a missed call. Picking the phone up I saw the message was from my mother. She had left me a voicemail from earlier this morning. This was what I had been dreading. Groaning softly, I hit the play button.

"Hello, Keiji! How was your first day as an Investigator? I'm a bit worried that I haven't heard from you… But I'm sure you're just fine. How would you like to come to dinner tonight? I'm making sukiyaki, your favorite! Give me a call and let me know if you're coming. Jirou would love to see you." There was a long pause in the recording and I almost hung up before my mom spoke again. "And Keiji...Your father would be so proud."

I heard the click of my mom hanging up and slowly lowered the phone. Would father really have been proud? A dark memory of a narrow hallway and the stench of blood threatened to resurface but I pushed it away. How was I going to tell my mom what happened? Should I tell her? I didn't want to worry her, she'd been against me becoming a Ghoul Investigator from the start.

I stumbled around throwing on clothes at random and when I had finally snapped out of my stupor, I realized my socks didn't match and my shirt was on backwards. After correcting my wardrobe malfunction I headed to the kitchen to inhale a quick bowl of cereal. Finally fully awake, I dialed my mom's home number. It rang a few times before the answering machine picked up. No surprise there, mom was at work like always and Jirou would be in school.

"Hello, you've reached the Fukui residence. We're not home right now, so please leave a message and we'll get back to you." My mother and little brother Jirou said together. Mom's voice was cheery and bright, while Jirou's was like a grumpy echo of her's.

"Hey, mom. It's Keiji I got your message. I'm fine and I'd...uh…" I let out a sigh and steeled my resolve. "I'd love to come to dinner tonight. I'll come over a little early and help out too, how does that sound? Anyway see you soon, love you." I finished and hit the end call button.

I made my way through the streets as quickly as I could. An unwelcome sense of nervousness had been building up since I left the house. In general I wasn't a fan of crowds, but there was something about today that was making me want to get the hell away from all the people more than usual.

I tapped my foot nervously on the train platform. The crowd of people that stood around me buzzed with chatter, their voices bouncing off the curved tunnel walls. It was too loud and full of people, happy ignorant people who knew nothing of what prowled the Tokyo streets at night. I glanced at their faces. An old man and a young boy, a woman chatting loudly on a cell phone, a group of school children huddled together around a smartphone video. Any one of them could be a Ghoul. My breathing jumped up two notches and I tried to get my anxiety under control. I felt trapped under the belly of the city and I wanted to run back up onto the street. Every shadow, every dark crevasse looked like a Ghoul crouched in waiting, ready to pounce. My wrists burned where Cheshire's nails...no, her _claws_ had dug in. I rubbed my neck again as if feeling for the bite marks that had never come.

Lost in my anxiety attack I bumped into someone.

"Sorry." She murmured softly, a hand covering her nose as if trying to stop a sneeze, her face down turned from my own.

I was about to reply with an apology of my own, when I took a harder look at her. My blood froze. Her hair was _maroon_ and she was short and slight. … No it couldn't be..! That was impossible! I opened my mouth, but it felt like I had gone mute. I couldn't be sure if it was really her but my palms were slick with sweat. I took a step back.

Before I could even decide whether or not I was hallucinating, the trained rushed in like an earthquake. The doors slid open and the girl pushed forward with the crowds and boarded. I stood there dumbstruck, as the subway train took off with an ear stinging screech. I had missed my ride. I let out an angry sigh and massaged the spot between my eyebrows.

After operation paranoia. They had talked about it at the academy, but I hadn't thought it would actually be as bad as they said. There were no Ghouls here, the shadows were just shadows, and that girl was just a girl with reddish brown hair. I really hadn't even gotten a good look, it might have just been brown hair now that I thought about it. I stood and waited for twenty extra minutes for the next train as, fuming at myself for letting my paranoia take me over so badly.

Four stops later I got off and made my way above ground. I started down the street towards my family's apartment. My family used to live in a nice house that was more in the suburbs but after my father died and my little brother Jirou got sick, my mother was forced to move us into an apartment in a less expensive part of the city. Mom worked two jobs trying to make sure that Jirou would be able to go to a good school and have his medicine. Part of the reason I had become an Investigator was because the pay was so good and I could support the two of them while still living on my own.

I turned into the apartment complex, scanning the numbers on the doors. Considering how cheap the rent was the apartments weren't too run down, but the roof still leaked on the top floor and the electricity was ify. The complex was actually pretty big so it took a while before I stopped in front of the familiar door. I made sure my sleeves covered my bandaged wrists and knocked on apartment number 1865. After a moment my mother answered.

Her gray eyes sparkled when she saw me despite the dark shadows under them. My mom's lavender hair was pulled back in a short ponytail and she wore her tattered work clothes. She pulled me into an embrace and I was relieved to see that her arms were not nearly as boney as they had been. I was glad to see that the money I had been sending was helping put food on the table.

"Keiji." She sighed, pulling me into a hug. She smelled like fresh baked bread from the bakery she worked at. I wrapped my arms around her too.

"Hey mom."

A gloomy face peered into the hallway behind my mother and my younger brother hobbled into view. Jirou's hair was even longer than I remembered and his pale purple fringe nearly covered his dull gray eyes. He leaned heavily on a pair of crutches that he had painstakingly painted fire engine red.

"Yo." He said rather flatly.

"That's no way to greet your brother Jirou! Give him a proper hello." Our mother scolded. Jirou rolled his eyes.

"Welcome back Mister Investigator!" He cheered and clapped with an overly false bravado. I snorted and he shot me a small smirk as our mom glowered at us.

"Oh, just get in here." She said her anger deflating into irritated amusement.

Over the threshold the apartment was warm and familiar, a relief after the chilly fall weather.

I took off my shoes as Mom lead the way to the slightly cramped kitchen and went back to chopping vegetables. Jirou lowered himself skillfully into one of the chairs around the table while I started getting plates out to set the table. It was a familiar routine from when I still lived with them.

"So how's school been?" I asked in Jirou's direction as I retrieved more napkins. He gave me a vague shrug.

"That bad huh?" I mused. My brother had muscle dystrophy in his legs and needed his crutches to get around. I can't even count how many fights he had gotten into in grade school with bullies who teased him about it. The bullies had backed off with the physical violence when they realized that metal crutches were a pretty good melee weapon though.

"It's nothing I can't handle." He grumbled with a glance at mom to make sure she wasn't paying attention to our conversation.

"What's it like being an Investigator. You kill any Ghouls yet?" Jirou asked, his usually blank eyes sparkling with curiosity. My shoulders tensed as flashes from last night went through my head.

"No way, I'm a Rank-2 and just started out. I don't have enough have enough experience to go hunting Ghouls yet." I lied, forcing a laugh.

"Make sure you find that Ghoul that killed dad. And when you do, rip it to pieces." Jirou said darkly, keeping his voice low. My brother's gray eyes were intense and his expression unreadable. His sudden bloodlust stunned me into silence just long enough for our mother to announce that dinner was ready.

After that mom dominated the dinner conversation. She talked about everything from the neighbors and Jirou to the cafe she had heard about from a friend. I kept glancing at my brother but his expression gave nothing away and I didn't have a chance to talk to him without mom hearing anymore. Although I was listening to what our mom had to say, I couldn't understand why Jirou had said that. When our father had been killed nine years ago, Jirou had only been four. It wasn't like he would be able to remember him. So what was that bloodlust for revenge?

When we all finished, I helped our mom with the dishes, and it was around six o'clock by the time all was said and done.

"I should go, I have work tomorrow." I told them heading for the door.

"I really wish you would have picked a safer job." She sighed squeezing my hand. "It must run in the family though, you're just like your father. He was always selflessly putting himself in harm's way for others." Mom said with a smile that was hiding an ocean of pain.

I looked away unable to meet her eyes.

"Y-yeah I guess so." I stammered as she hugged me again. Jirou hobbled over to me and pulled me into a one armed embrace.

"Be careful not to get eaten. We both know you're kind of a scaredy cat." He whispered, smiling an inch away from my ear. I had to hold back a shudder as my wrists twinged with pain.

"Goodbye Keiji, we love." My mom said as I opened the door and a cold draft rushed in.

"Love you too. I'll call you soon." I promised as I stepped out into the twilight.

The door shut behind me and I was alone again. Jirou was right I was a scaredy cat. Mom was wrong I was nothing like our father. He had been brave, always doing what was right and willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for a stranger. I was just a coward who had learned to fight to protect my own life and my family's. It wasn't because I was selfless or anything. It was just because I was afraid to die or lose my family. No matter how many times I lied about why I was an Investigator, the truth was...I wasn't doing it for others, I was doing it for myself.

* * *

 **Hello readers! So in a few chapters I'm going to need a few characters and I could use your help. I need some OCs, Ghouls or Investigators, as side/background characters. But we're gonna lay down some ground rules.**

 **First off not every OC will be in the story. I'm only looking for about 5-7 characters total, and I'm picking the ones I like the most. Don't feel bad if your character isn't picked I can't add everybody.**

 **Second rule,** **NO** **Kakaju or One-eyed Ghouls. They're too rare and stand out too much to be side characters. I'm just looking for normal Ghouls or Investigators.**

 **Third rule, BE CREATIVE! I believe in you to make a character that's not cliche! Have fun with it! Give them weird hair, I dunno. Give them a theme or something! Just don't make a character that is so and so's sister or whatever. This is** **your** **character.**

 **Last rule, give me a last and first name for your character. Don't forget the appearance, that's important too. Tell me about their personality, maybe a bit of background. If you make a Ghoul tell me about their Kagune, mask, rating, alias, and alliance (are they Aogiri Tree, a loner, or do they know the protagonist?). If you make an Investigator tell me their about their Quinque and what class they are.**

 **PM me the OCs until around December I guess. I'm excited to see what you can come up with! -Pogokitten**


	5. The Hunt (Route 1)

**Hello my readers! This update took a while longer than I thought, but on the upside I got a handful of pretty decent OC's from you. Hopefully when the plot really starts rolling they'll make an appearance. Anyway, sorry for the ramble, please enjoy the story.**

* * *

 **Cheshire Smile**

The Hunt (Route 1)

A few days had passed since visiting my mother, and for the most part everything seemed to have calmed down. The Doves who had attacked me hadn't been seen in the Ward since my run in with them. Although my sleep had caught back up with me, the fact that I hadn't gotten a full meal in a while was driving me into a pit of fatigue. It was a miracle really that I hadn't bitten off Jimmy's head when I was in class. His questions had gotten more persistent, midterms were looming closer, and Daiki's birthday was weighing heavily in the back of my mind. Not to mention Haruki's little screw up had turned him into a high profile case, and several more Investigators were most likely going to be sent to the 6th Ward because of it.

My stress levels were astronomical to say the least. Perhaps because she had sensed the weight on my shoulders, Nao had eased up on the cold shoulder she had been giving me. That morning I woke up to my stomach growling and aching. I needed to eat today or I'd have trouble soon. I weighed my options for food. I liked fresh meat and the hunt as much as any other Ghoul, but stealing corpses was usually easier, less dangerous, and came with less guilt over the loss of life. But I hadn't been having too much luck with corpses recently. Well, I had told my mother I'd go hunting soon anyway.

Downstairs Nao was already up and on her second pot of coffee. I told Nao that I intend to hunt that night and take the corpse to my mother's as I went down for morning coffee, and she agreed to come too. A few hours later, we set out on a walk across town to my mother's shop to let her know that we would be dropping off meat. I had tried to call her but, of course because it was business hours, her cell was off.

On the way we talked about "safe" trivial things. But the closer we got to my mom's, the more heavily the letter from my father seemed to weigh down my tote bag. For the past few days I had been carrying it around with me, and had reread it so many times I memorized it. I still had yet to tell Nao about it, but as much as I trusted her I didn't want to rope her into my father's scheme. Whatever it was.

Finally we arrived at the shop, but instead of going in I leaned against the side of the building. Nao stopped beside me and waited as I gathered my words. We had been friends long enough that she knew not to push me to talk or I'd clam up. I took a breath. She deserved to know, she always had my back no matter what. As much as I didn't want to get her involved, I needed the support.

"The message my father sent, it was an invitation to my brothers birthday party." I told her in a low voice as I pulled the well worn envelope out and passed it to her.

She gave it a cautious sniff and opened it.

"The man who delivered this reeks of cheap perfume, but he was definitely one of your father's men. There's no doubt your father wrote it either, his scent is overpowering as usual."

I nodded. Nao's senses were far stronger than any other Ghoul I knew. She could smell, better, see better, and hear better than me. Her abilities had saved our lives more times than I could count. My roommate scanned the letter and her frown grew.

"The 3rd Ward, huh?" She commented as she handed it back.

"Yeah, I have the feeling he's up to something." I told her as I shoved the hated invitation into my bag.

"Are you going?" Nao asked, an eyebrow raised.

"My mother asked me too, and I'd like to know what my father's scheming."

She nodded in understanding.

"Do you need some backup?"

I hesitated. Well, father didn't say I couldn't bring a guest…

"Yeah, I could use an extra set of eyes. Thanks." I smiled, feeling that a bit of weight had been removed from my shoulders.

If I had to fight my way out of that party, Nao was the one I'd want at my back. She gave me the ghost of a smile in return, her brows knitted in concern. As we headed for the entrance, I wanted to reassure her that it would be okay, that we would make it through the party. But I didn't bother because Nao knew exactly what my father was capable of.

I pushed open the door to the shop and the bell tinkled in greeting. There were a few customers milling about examining the meats, and a quick sniff told me that they probably weren't Ghouls. My mother looked up from polishing the counter and waved. I was about to call out a greeting when I caught sight of a shaggy blonde head peeking out from the back room. Stiffening at the sight of him, I stalked over to the counter.

"What is he doing here?!" I whispered furiously to my mother as the blonde twerp retreated into the back room.

"Calm down Nobuko. Haruki is just helping me around the shop in exchange for some meat. He's lying low, so going out has been hard for him." She whispered back, not even bother to stop polishing the display case.

"Like hell he is, it's his own damn fault he can't go out!" I fumed making sure to keep my voice down.

I stormed into the back room, trying, and failing not to slam the freezer door as I closed it before my mother could protest. Haruki was attempting to make himself look as small as possible as he hid behind the hanging slabs of cow. It was a very poor place to hide, considering his tall and lanky frame stuck out even in the best hiding spots. I leaned against the door, ignoring the cold that seeped into my skin and waited. Haruki kept pretending to be busy examining the meat or the thermostat, making sure to keep his back to me. But when it became obvious I had no intention of leaving, he let out a sigh.

"What's up Nobuko?" He asked, turning to look at me.

Haruki's clothes were ratty and dirty, as if he had been wearing them for days. His blonde hair was ruffled as if he had just been running. Crooked teeth were visible through the nervous smile he gave me. Sweat was dripping down the Ghoul's long nose despite the cold.

"Tell me, what idiotic thing did you do this time?" I asked him in a conversational tone, a hard edge underneath my words. His adam's apple bobbed and he glanced around as if looking for a way out of the question. When none presented itself, he sighed in defeat.

"I was just out hunting, you know? And I went after this lady, but it wasn't until I killed her that I realized she was dragging a kid around with her." He said and looked at me nervously. I motioned for him to continue even as my blood began to boil. It was an effort to hold my temper in check. I had to hear his side of the story first.

"But it was just a little girl, I only wanted the woman so I didn't want to kill the squirt. And before I can figure out what to do, the kid starts crying. While I was trying to think of how to shut her up, a bunch of people came running down the side street I was on, so I bolted! The next thing I know, the CCG turned me into a high profile case! What else was I supposed to do?" Haruki defended himself.

I let out a long sigh and pushed myself off the door.

"Haruki, whose hunting grounds do you use?" I questioned as I stalked towards him.

"Y-yours, Nobuko." He stuttered.

"That's right, mine." I affirmed.

Haruki began backing up as I grew closer to him.

"Do you know how many of my rules you broke?" I asked softly.

"I dunno, like two? There weren't any Doves involved directly! It's not a huge deal, right? It was just a little slip up, an honest mistake, anyone could have-" He backed into the freezer wall and I slammed my hand against it, pinning him there.

"Four of them." I growled my Kakugan activating. "Rule number five; make sure your target is alone. Rule number six; no hunting family units. Rule number seven; no witnesses. And rule number ten; clean up after yourself." I listed, my temper growing as my stomach ached with emptiness. A headache spiked through the back of my skull.

Despite the fact that he stood a good two heads taller than me, the older boy's knees were shaking. I grabbed the front of his shirt and forced him down to my eye level.

"I have rules in my territory for a reason, you dumbass."

"I-I'm sorry." He stammered, fear in his eyes.

"Are you? Do you understand that when you fuck up like this it makes it worse for the entire Ward? The more high profile case Ghouls here, the more Doves they'll send." I snarled.

"I-I didn't… I would never..!" Haruki gasped out, a fear stench starting to waft off of him.

"The only reason I haven't chased you out of the 6th Ward, is because my mother is kind enough to pity an idiot like you. But if you keep putting her in danger with your stupidity, I'll kill you and leave your corpse for the Doves myself. You got that?" I threatened.

"Yes…" He breathed, still trembling.

I pushed him away from me and let my eyes return to normal as the freezer door sprang open to reveal my mother, her face tight with concern. Seeing us both unharmed, her expression loosened but she still seemed tense. Perhaps she thought we had been fighting.

"What are you two doing in here?" She asked.

"Nothing much, just catching up." I told her casually, shooting Haruki a sideways glance. He got my drift and nodded in agreement, my threat no doubt ringing in his ears.

"Well then come on out, all the human customers have left now."

Haruki practically flew from the room. I made eye contact with Nao as I walked back into the store front, and from the look on her face I could tell that she had heard every word I had said to Haruki.

"I just came by to tell you that we're going hunting tonight. Neither of us have eaten in a while, and you need more stock right?" I informed my mother.

"I do need more meat and Haruki isn't able to hunt for me right now but…" She hesitated.

"What's wrong?" I asked her.

"I'm coming with you." Mother announced.

"What? Why? Nao and I can handle it. You should just take it easy." I argued and Nao nodded in agreement.

"Young lady, the last time you brought me fresh meat it was so torn to pieces most of it was unsellable, and found corpses don't sell well. This time I'll go and show you how to _properly_ bring back prey."

I let out an irritated huff but managed to keep my mouth shut.

If I was being rational about it, an extra set of claws would be helpful, but I also didn't want my mother being a back seat driver to the hunt. From the look in her eyes, I could tell my mom wasn't going to take no for an answer. So I ground my teeth together and swallowed my argument.

"Fine, we'll meet up here at eleven and head to the eastern part of the ward. I've got prey picked out for us."

* * *

Eleven finally came around after another exhausting day that had my insides clawing with hunger. Tote bags full of supplies in hand, Nao and I made our way to my mother's shop and from there she led us to the secret basement and left us to change. As soon as the door shut, I started stripping off my street clothes and began slipping into my hunting outfit, as Nao did the same. I eyed my blue striped tank top dubiously, thinking that it would soon be very cold and I would not be warm in it, even if it's short length stopped my Kagune from ripping holes in it. My black yoga pants wouldn't do much against the cold either. At least the combat boots would be warm, I thought sarcastically.

"Ready yet?" Nao asked. Her voice was muffled by her mask, a curved expanse of white with an uncountable number of different eyes of varying colors hand painted on its surface. Her white hoodie was also a jumble of painted eyes that along with her overly heightened senses gave her the fitting alias of One Hundred Eyes.

"Just about." I told her, pulling my long maroon hair into a ponytail and digging my mask out of the hidden pocket in the tote bag.

"Hey, watch yourself out there. You know what hunger does to you." Nao said.

"You don't have to worry about me." I responded clipping my mask over my face.

"It's not you I'm worried about." She told me, her voice low.

Before I could ask her what she was talking about, my mother paraded into the room looking ridiculous as usual in her battle gear. In an oversized brown furry coat, hiking boots, and a slightly demonic looking mascot-head-style hare mask, she was like something straight out of a nightmare. The picture was not helped by the assortment of dangerous looking tools poking out of the large duffle bag slung over her shoulder.

"You kids ready yet?" She asked, her voice distorted by the head of the Easter Bunny's demented cousin.

"Yeah just about." I told her, trying not to make eye contact with the mask.

"Then let's head out." She said and pulled up the trap door on the floor.

A metal ladder lead down into the darkness of the underground tunnels that the Tokyo Ghouls had once inhabited. I took one last gulp of fresh air and followed Nao and my mother into the underground.

* * *

I landed almost soundlessly on the rooftop and gazed out over the city. Skyscraper rose up in the distance like jagged teeth. A haze of smog blanketed the city, the dull honk of cars and murmur of voices reached me from miles away. The cold chill of the autumn night rushed passed on a breeze, cutting through my clothes and biting my skin. Although Tokyo stank of pollution, the crisp air was exhilarating during the hunt.

Beside me, Nao shifted her weight on the roof's ledge. Her head tilted to the side, listening for prey, expression hidden behind her mask. With a soft _huff_ of effort, my mother landed beside me and re-adjusted her hare mask. My mother's age was starting to show. Her movements were slower and her strength was fading. I was hoping she would retire soon, but this was the kind of hunting night no Ghoul could resist.

Nao signaled to me that she was headed off to the right and I nodded in understanding. My mother and I jumped to the next rooftop while Nao branched off in one huge bound. My roommate preferred to hunt on her own when she could. She was the kind of person who values alone time and besides, I had a specific target in mind and I had been watching him for a few days. By now I had seen his routine enough to know that he'd be on his way home from a small bar by now. That and he almost always took a short cut through a dark alley.

I perched on the edge of the the roof of a small office building only three stories tall and waited. With another heavy thump, my mother landed next to me and dusted off her oversized brown coat.

"My, my all this jumping around you kids do these days. I miss the time when the CCG didn't dominate the city and Ghouls could walk the streets unrestricted." She whispered, kneeling down next to me.

"Exactly how old are you?" I asked in a teasing tone and she shot me a look that made me glad I was too old to be grounded.

"So who's our prey tonight, Little Kitty?" She questioned, using my much hated baby name. I couldn't hide my smirk, surprised my mom was playing along with my teasing for once.

"You'll enjoy him, he's a big muscular guy and he's probably nice and drunk by now." I told her my smile stretching wider.

"Oh come now, Cheshire. I know that's not the whole story. Why are we hunting him?" My mother chided from under her mask. My smile slipped off my face.

"I've seen him smacking his girlfriend around. Besides he's got enough meat to feed three Ghouls." I explained, my grin creeping back on my face from the anticipation of sinking my teeth into the man's flesh. My mother tutted softly.

"You don't need to scout your prey before hand like this. In fact it's more dangerous for you to make a pattern like this. The last time it was a pimp and the time before that it was a notorious molester. The CCG will realize that all your kills have something in common and be able to track you."

"I don't want to hear that from _you_. Aren't you the Hare that goes on a massive killing spree every March without fail? That's a pretty noticeable pattern." I retorted.

"Well, it's a very upsetting time of year for me…" My mother mumbled.

"It's been fourteen years… I know father left you during that month, but running around killing every guy who looks like him during the month is dangerous. If you keep it up the CCG will turn you into a high profile case." I warned in a low voice.

"I'm perfectly capable of protecting myself young lady, and-" She started hotly, but I cut her off with a wave of my hand as the echo of footsteps started down the alley.

The steps were heavy and clumsy sounding. Our prey rounded the corner and the stench of alcohol hit me from three stories below. Tall and muscle bound, the man sauntered down the dingy alley as if he owned it. Even in the low light I could see his ruddy cheeks and detect the unsteadiness in his steps that told me he was well over the legal limit.

"I'll take front, you take back and come in for the kill." I breathed, barely a whisper. My mother nodded and at the same time we jumped down to the ground. I landed as softly as I could but the slap of my sneakers still managed to catch our drunk's attention. He stumbled back in surprise and fell right onto his rear end.

"Wha' the hell?" He slurred, rubbing his eyes trying to figure out if he was hallucinating.

"Where'd you come from? An' what's with that creepy mask?" He asked pushing himself off the ground.

I didn't deem him worthy of a response as I glanced past him to make sure my mother was hidden in the shadows.

"Well say something ya freak! You wanna fight?" He challenged loudly, but I could smell the subtle fear smell coming off of him. I felt my veins begin to boil with bloodlust and it was taking most of my willpower not to rip him to shreds right there. _What a horrible human, it will be great to get my claws in him._ Unaware or unconcerned about exactly how dangerous a situation he was in, Muscle man pulled out a switchblade.

"Bring it short stack, I'll beat your ass so hard your kids'll feel it!"

His useless taunts were just making me more excited. His voice trembled and I could hear his breathing getting faster. I felt a smile start to tug on the corners of my lips. The man made a lunge for me and I side stepped his clumsy strike with maddening ease. It had been sometime since any prey had actually tried to fight back. This might be fun for once.

He slashed his blade at me again and I caught it between my fingers. The surprise on his face sent me into a fit of giggles. Quick as an asp, I tripped his legs out from under him.

"No-o way don't tell me… You're one of t-those..!" The man stuttered, his eyes wide as I gazed down at him.

Unable to hold back any longer, my Kagune erupted from my back in all it's serrated glory. Muscle head let out a gasp. Then man's fear scent was becoming overwhelming and I was content to drink in the smell of it. My smile was quickly transforming into a wolfish grin. I wanted to let myself loose on the man, to take all my stress out on my next meal. There was a familiar scent in the alley with us, but I was too engrossed with the mouse I had cornered to notice.

"No… get away..!" The man yelled, scooting backwards on his ass in an attempt to run away.

He held his tiny knife out in front of him like a sword, but I could see his hands shaking. _Oh man this guy is a riot!_ Kagune swishing back and forth, I slowly started towards him, savoring each step. My stomach gave an impatient grumble, reminding me of how empty it was. The man began trembling in earnest, and the smell of freshly soiled pants hit my nose.

"Please…" He begged.

My grin stretched wider and wider until I started laughing at the sight of this pathetic worm. This human enjoyed abusing others and yet he was begging before me like a dog. Kakugan dancing with joy, I lunged forward with inhuman speed and had my hands around the man's neck.

"Plea...se..." He choked as I crushed his windpipe.

 _I was going to enjoy this one… I might even take my time for once…_ This man who had exerted his power over women was trembling before me and begging for his miserable life. There was a voice in the back of my head telling me to calm down, but I was drunk on my own power, and my bloodlust won out over reason. It had all been a bit stressful lately and I deserved to let loose a bit right..? And god was I hungry…

I brought my Kagune up above my head, ready rip him into tiny shreds. The terror reflected in his eyes sent me into another giggling fit. _Oh, he is fun the least I can do is make it intimate._ I lowered my Kagune and brought the meatsack closer, my hand still clenching his windpipe. He screamed again as I brought my mouth towards his neck to rip it out and-

A hail of needle thin Ukaku shards shot towards me. Most of them found a home in the man's spine and neck, but a few punctured my shoulder. I dropped the man and hissed as the pain laced down my arm. Falling to my knees I grasped my bleeding shoulder, the pain snapping me out of my excitement filled daze. The man fell face first to the ground, the shards making his corpse look like a mangled porcupine. My mother stood behind him, her round, cotton ball looking Ukaku glowing dimly in the night.

"Sorry to spoil your fun but the last time I saw bloodlust that bad, your father disemboweled three Ghoul Investigators so bad they looked liked been through the blender." My mother said. Was her face pale or was it a trick of the light?

Father again huh? I glanced at the body and rubbed my face. What was I doing, losing myself like that? I'd nearly broken one of my own rules, never "play" with your food before you eat it. I almost… I couldn't even bare to think about. Had it been because I was losing to my hunger or..? I pushed the thought down unwilling to acknowledge it.

I let out another soft hiss as I carefully pulled the quill like shards from my shoulder.

"Are you okay? I'm sorry I just didn't want you to-" My mom said crouching down to help, but I cut her off.

"It's fine… I'm glad you did I was… Well, I was out of it." I confessed. I put a hand to my head and took a deep breath. I hadn't been that far gone since… well… It'd been a while.

My mother let out a sigh and dropped the tool bag next to the corpse. She began pulling out saws and pliers but her mind was clearly elsewhere and her face was pinched in worry. I could tell she was building up to say something.

"Nobuko…" She started in a gentle voice that sent cold dread down my spine. "When your father left, when we were deciding which one of you would go with him, he wanted-" No, I definitely did not want to hear this.

"Mom." I interrupted squeezing my shoulder so hard my clotted wound started bleeding again. "Don't, please. Not tonight." I whispered.

I didn't look up to meet her eyes, but I could still feel the pity in her gaze. I hated it. Even as the sound of my mother getting to work on the body started up, I stayed where I was crouched on the ground. Why did she always bring up father with me? It's not like he'd spent much time with me when I was a child. How similar could we be, when he had spent so much more time with Daiki? Surely my mother was just projecting her feelings of missing him onto me. But what if she wasn't? What if I really was more similar to him than I thought?

A cold chill ran down my spine and I buried the doubt in the deepest part of my mind. No, I wasn't like that monster. I didn't kill for sport or pick on weaker Ghouls. I would never… A severed leg landed in front of me with a soft slap, breaking me out of my thoughts.

"Eat it, you'll feel calm down." My mother said, blood dripping from her saw.

I nodded mutely, just now realizing how dangerously empty my stomach actually was. The hungrier a Ghoul gets the more likely they are to lose themselves to their cravings. And it was insanely stupid of me to forget how dangerous I could be if I got out of control. If I were to really lose myself, my mother wouldn't be able to stop me. I wasn't even sure Nao could stop a rampage like the one that had been building up. Shame washed over me for berating Haruki when I was hardly any better.

My mother finished stuffing the partially disassembled corpse into the duffle bag just as I licked my fingers clean and dropped the man's shoe and sock in the nearby dumpster.

"Give an old woman a hand would you?" My mother said offering me the bag with a teasing grin.

I shouldered the heavy duffle and managed a small smile that didn't reach my eyes. I wasn't in any mood to poke fun anymore. We made our way back to the tunnel entrance in silence, and still hadn't said a word to each other by the time that we climbed the rusting ladder back into the shop's basement. My roommate was already waiting for us, speckles of blood drying on her jacket.

"How'd it go?" She asked as I hauled the bag up onto the bloodstained table.

"Fine." I told her, eyes downcast, not willing to show her the shame that I knew was clearly plastered on my face.

I was waiting for Nao to call me out or my mother to explain my lapse of control but neither of them said a thing, leaving us to stand in awkward silence. Did they want me to say it or were they sparing me some embarrassment? Before I could find out, my mother left us to wash up and change.

"Nobuko..?" Nao prompted just as I was zipping my bag up.

I bit my lower lip. She should know. When it came down to it she might be the only one able to stop me and wouldn't want to kill me in the process.

"I…" All my explanations died on my lips. Instead I found myself saying, "Do you... think I'm like my father…?"

My friend stared at me for a long time before running a hand through her short spiky hair and letting out a long sigh.

"Well considering I've only met your father once for about five seconds…" She started as if to make a joke, but stopped when she saw my face.

"Look Nobuko, there's no way getting around that you're related to him. You're going to have some of his traits no matter what." She said softly.

I turned away so she couldn't see the fear that flickered across my face. Suddenly she grabbed my shoulders and from behind and spun me so I was forced to look at her.

"But the difference is that you're _not_ him. He's a sadistic man, but even if that same urge to hurt others for fun is in you, you are strong enough to resist it. Unlike your father, you have empathy for others and know their pain."

"I just get...so afraid…that I'll hurt you or mother or…"

"And it's that fear that will keep you in control." She said giving my shoulder a soft squeeze.

Before I could respond, my mother returned to the workshop.

"You kids should get home, it's getting late." She said in our direction as she unzipped the duffle bag and began removing severed body parts.

From there I knew she would butcher the man like she would any animal, taking care to treat the high selling internal organ with care. I had of course helped her when I was younger, but as I had grown up I started not being able to stomach dissecting people like that. It wasn't that it disgusted me, I just felt uncomfortable. These were people still, and while eating them was a necessity, literally butchering them was a little bit too excessive for my taste.

 _Was it really though? Surely this is nothing compared to what I would have to him while he was still alive._ A chill ran down my back. My mother pulled out the man's head, an expression of pure terror still on his face.

"Let's go home." Nao said, grabbing my arm. Her sharp eyes lingered on my face, expression unreadable.

"Yeah… Okay." I agreed and glanced back at the man's severed head one last time before we started back up the stairs.


End file.
